When everyone is talking about Kodak and Fujifilm, let’s not forget about AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400!
Such a long name…
As far as I know, AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 is different from it’s original film called Agfa Vista 400 from the Agfa company.
Agfa Company
Agfa company went broke because of digital ‘invasion’ most probably, and sold the company. It was renamed as Agfa Photo. The original name of ‘Agfa Vista 400’ is also renamed to ‘AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400’. Although the name looks very similar, which have had me confused for a while, the new AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 is not the same as the old one.
The material is completely different because it is repackaged from another manufacturer. For those who have been using AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400, don’t you think your photos look similar to Fujfilm Superia Xtra 400?
At least I think so.
Nonetheless, many sources have stated that AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 film is using Fujifilm’s material.
I always get this film from Taobao because it’s only SGD3+ per roll!
AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400
Overexposing

AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400, Botanic Garden (2016)
The picture above was shot around evening time and I vividly remember the setting was f/2.8, 1/60. Clearly, it’s overexposing the shot by so many stops.
But look at it! Beautiful right? If I am willing to edit, I believe I can achieve the Japanese-vibe look.
The good thing about film is that you can overexpose it over many stops up and not worry about blowing away shadows and highlight.
Exposing well

Ayutthaya, AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 (2017)

Tuk Tuk in Ayutthaya, AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 (2017)

Tuk Tuk in Ayutthaya, AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 (2017)
When exposing the film as it should be, this Vista 400 also gives colourful and vibrant look.
Grains
To me, grains in film photo is not a main concern. But if you insist, I would say the grains of this Vista film is very fine considering the ISO of 400.
This batch of films had been through x-ray at least twice but the grains are still fine. So, don’t worry about bringing your films for your travel, as long as you hand-carry them.
Overall

Ayutthaya, AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 (2017)
All in all, this film gives warmer effect, with more sensitivity towards red. That’s why you can see that anything that is red in the picture is enhanced.
As its film speed is 400, this film is very suitable to be used in day-to-day photography, such as traveling, casual events, and on the street.
If you want to shoot portrait, I think it’s better to use Kodak Portra or Fuji Pro 400H because these two films give the skin tones a more natural look. Vista is quite inconsistent for the skin tones as it can sometimes give the face a reddish look.
Do I like this film?
Absolutely. It is cheap and give decent colours. But if I am doing serious work (seldom), I prefer to use Fuji Pro 400H.
You can view more sample photos of AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 here.
Or Start Here.
I used AGFA film ISO 200 shooting on a p&s camera and the weather is half-cloudy, but all the photo turns out to be greenish/purple-ish it just so weird and idk why :/ when i saw the outcome i died hundred times inside T.T
i think it might be because of scanning problem?
Shit.. if really it’s the case then the shop i went to develop my film are suckssss 🙁
I buy my AGFA vista films from taobao too but shipping usually take so long as I tend to use air shipment to avoid x rays. Do you use the same as well? Or x ray machines never bother you?
Taobao delivery usually takes one week to reach my doorstep. I didn’t select any option to avoid X-ray because it doesn’t ruin my films so far 🙂
Keep on posting on your thought on some choice of film. The agfa is my favourite as it is sharp with saturated color.
Just keep shooting.